Update: Online Gambling for Atlantic Lottery Corporation?

The recent reports from Canadian Maritime Provinces using Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), which for the most part do not consider going online, point out that New Brunswick may occupy a different position. If the province decides to approve online operations, the ALC is willing to expand to the sector, ALC manager told a committee on Crown Corporations.

According to the manager, the company is also ready to go online, thanks to the already drafted regulatory changes which enable it to join British Columbia and Quebec that have already gone online with gambling offerings.

It was specified by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that New Brunswick already has internet games such as bingo, but as it has no casino-type games that are played with other punters, such as poker, it wants to enlarge its offering.

"Technically, it is a very easy decision," the committee was told. "We have some quality control testing â€¦ so our due diligence would take a few months, so it is up to the shareholder on the timing because all of the other pieces are in place."

The committee also learned from a New Brunswick Department of Finance official that the provincial government has been "...consistent in that we have had ongoing discussions with ALC but there is no decision made either way on the matter."

In terms of the other provinces using the ALC, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island showed no intention to go online.

Provinces have the liberty of making this decision independently from others, and if they opt for the online sector, they will receive the necessary technical support through the ALC.